1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to transportation systems that include at least one guideway lane and vehicles that are configured to travel on the guideway lane or lanes.
2. Background Art
Several automated transportation systems have been proposed for transporting vehicles. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,775,227, 5,845,583, and 6,129,025.
A transportation system according to the invention includes a guideway lane and a power cable assembly extending along the guideway lane. The system further includes a vehicle configured to travel on the guideway lane. The vehicle includes a self-centering transformer that is movable along the cable assembly and configured to cooperate with the cable assembly to transfer power to the vehicle. In addition, the transformer includes a magnet array that creates a magnetic field for centering the transformer with respect to the cable assembly as the transformer moves along the cable assembly.
A vehicle, according to the invention for use on a guideway system having a guideway lane and a power cable assembly extending along the guideway lane, includes a vehicle body and a transformer supported by the body and being movable along the cable assembly. The transformer is configured to cooperate with the cable assembly to transfer power to the vehicle. In addition, the transformer includes a magnet array that creates a magnetic field for centering the transformer with respect to the cable assembly as the transformer moves along the cable assembly.